A one-legged pirate called Joe

What Happened to You? by James Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George(Faber & Faber, 2021)Good to Read for:teaching about disabilitymodelling friendshipdeveloping empathyI’m so pleased I came across What Happened to You? Finally, a quality picture book whose main protagonist is a disabled child.

(I’m sure there are others out there, but this is the first I’ve come across.)

“Picture books that try to reflect the reality and particularity of a young disabled child’s experience are still few and far between,” acknowledges its author, Catchpole.

The opening page shows Joe (a one-legged boy) discarding his crutches by a park bench in his rush to climb the play equipment:

 

Joe was playing his favourite game.

It had sharks.

And possibly crocodiles.

But crocodiles and sharks were no match for pirates like Joe.

 

There’s no mention of the fact that Joe has just one leg. At this point in the story, he’s just a kid. Because kids with disabilities (like Joe, the shark-fighting pirate) like to play, too.

Joe makes short work of the incoming sharks! They weren’t the problem. Sharks, writes Catchpole, were easy compared to kids Joe hadn’t met yet.

 

“YOU’VE ONLY GOT ONE LEG!” said a kid.

   

Catchpole is well placed to write this story. I don’t know about his swashbuckling credentials – but like his character Joe, Catchpole only has one leg. The story is based on his experience as a disabled child and “the challenges of being seen as different by the other children in the playground,” explains Catchpole in an article for Caboodle. “[S]pecifically about the moment another child notices your difference, stops in their tracks, and asks ‘What happened to you?’”

The other kids in the playground bombard Joe with questions about his missing leg:

 

But where’s your leg?

Here!

But where’s your other leg?

WHAT OTHER LEG?

   

True, a one-legged character is a Unique Selling Point for a picture book. But what initially attracted me to What Happened to You? are Karen George’s illustrations. They are soft, and she effectively depicts the imaginary aspects by using abstract colours. As with all good picture books, the images add to the child’s understanding of the story, and her expressive characters speak volumes. 

A shrug of shoulders here.

A furrowed brow and angry scowl there. 

As the playground kids persist with their questioning (and their guesses about the fate of the missing leg become increasingly silly), poor Joe becomes increasingly frustrated. I love Catchpole’s pithy dialogue:

 

Was it a lion? 

Was it a thousand lions?

“Yes,” said Joe,

“It was a thousand lions.”

“REALLY?” said the kids.

“NO!” shouted Joe.

   

The following image - a silent double-page spread – is poignant and achingly sad. It’s a perfectly captured moment that leaves the reader in no doubt about Joe’s feelings. That’s the power of picture books – they put kids into someone else’s shoes (or, in this case, shoe), which develops an understanding of and empathy for others.

   

Young kids are naturally curious, and their questions about people who are different to themselves aren’t meant to hurt. As Joe continues with his game, the other kids join in one by one.

 

“Is that a crocodile down there?” [said Kid One].

And Joe said, “Yes, I think so.”

 

Before long, Simone (Kid One), Yuto, Caspar, Mainie and Ibrahim (a nicely diverse group themselves) have joined Joe in his game of pirates.

   

As the story concludes, ‘Joe [has] a question of his own.’

 

“Do you still need to know what happened [to my leg]?”

“No!” said Simone.

And Joe seemed happy with that.

 Significantly, the reader isn’t expected to feel sorry for Joe because of his disability. But the way he’s treated by his peers? That’s the clincher.

“‘What happened to you?’ is a deeply personal question, which taps into all sorts of vulnerabilities,” Catchpole tells DiverseBooks.org. “And there’s a rule about personal questions: We don’t ask them of people we don’t know.”

Disabled people, he argues, appear to be an exception to this rule. And it’s an exception he objects to: Why should disabled children expect to be asked the same question by their peers every time they go into the playground? Why should disabled adults expect to be questioned when queuing at the bus stop or in the supermarket? 

What Happened to You? is a double-edged (pirate) sword. On the one hand, Catchpole has deliberately written a picture book that will both reassure and empower disabled kids to set their own boundaries. He also hopes the book will educate parents – and their kids – about how to treat disabled people and develop empathy in their kids. 

Catchpole’s agenda doesn’t weaken the story. It’s too well-crafted for that. Instead, his unique perspective strengthens the underlying message that disabled people are just like anyone else, getting on with their busy day. They are not (as Catchpole bluntly puts it) ‘looking to be a teachable moment.’

When it comes to raising emotionally healthy kids, quality picture books like What Happened to You? are a parent’s most valuable tool. They open up opportunities to discuss sensitive issues with your child and teach them that what makes them different makes them great. Most importantly, picture books help develop empathy. Meaning kids like Joe can just get on with the important business of fending off shark attacks and marauding crocodiles.

  STORIES WORTH SHARINGWhat Happened to You? by James Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George(Faber & Faber, 2021)Good to Read for:teaching about disabilitymodelling friendshipdeveloping empathyCopyright © 2021 James Catchpole (Text) & Karen George (Illustrations)From What Happened to You? by James Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George (Faber & Faber 2021)GOOD TO READPicture books involving disability ( as recommended by James Catchpole )

Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Antrobus & Polly Dunbar

El Deafo by Cece Bell

I Am Not a Label by Cerrie Burnell & Lauren Baldo

What Happened to You? by James Catchpole & Karen George

This Beach is Loud! by Samantha Cotterill

Lone Wolf by Sarah Kurpiel

Little People, Big Dreams: Frida Kahlo by Isabel Sánchez Vegara & Gee Fan Eng

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 “A brilliant book to open up the conversation with pre-school kids.” – Disabilities Arts
“[Imparts] wisdom and empathy without seeming to do so.”  – The Book Activist buy uk buy us * I EARN COMMISSION FROM THESE LINKS #AD/AFF

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SOURCESWhat Happened to You? by James Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George (Faber & Faber, 2021) 7 Illustrated Books about Disability (Caboodle.nationalbooktones.com)Why It’s Important to Talk to Kids About Disability and “What Happened to You?” (Alania Lavoie, 8 April 2021)© 2022 BY TIM WARNES(UNLESS OTHERWISE ATTRIBUTED)****USE OF THIRD PARTY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL FALLS UNDER FAIR USE/FAIR DEALING PRACTICE.